Complicated
by SexySiri
Summary: Nick felt his chest contract slightly at the hurt look on the man's face and, refusing to think about what he was doing, he leant forwards and kissed his friend… Ex friend…
1. Chapter 1

**Complicated.**

The call had come at four o'clock, Nick had just got in from the ARC and had finally sat down to have a drink and try to figure out what the hell had happened. Then the phone rang; the resulting conversation was awkward, Stephen was being released from the hospital but he wasn't allowed to drive for a few days because of his foot, and because of the painkillers he was on he wasn't allowed home unless there was someone to keep an eye on him, Connor and Abby weren't picking up their phones and so Stephen had called Nick. It was almost tempting to make him stay in the hospital an extra night but then the man had said, "I didn't know who else to call." And he sounded so broken. And so that's how Nick had ended up going to the hospital to pick Stephen up.

"We're going to mine." Nick said as Stephen hobbled towards the car on the crutches the hospital had lent him. "Since you can't be alone tonight and I have no intention of staying at yours. You can have the sofa." Stephen nodded, either forgetting or ignoring the fact that Nick had a spare room he could have easily let Stephen sleep in. "How's your leg?" Nick asked after a while, partly to fill the silence and partly because he did care, angry as he was with Stephen…

"It's alright." Stephen murmured, jumping as Nick suddenly slammed his hand down onto the steering wheel.

"Don't fucking lie to me!" Nick yelled, suddenly furious, "You can't help yourself can you? If it's about injuries or affairs… Everything that comes out of your mouth is shit." He growled as he pulled up in front of his building, turning away from Stephen so that he didn't have to see the man's hurt expression.

There was silence for a few seconds before Stephen cleared his throat awkwardly, "It hurts like hell." He said quietly. Well at least he was being honest now, Nick thought as he moved around the car to help Stephen out, silencing the man's protests with a glare. Nick got Stephen inside the house and practically dumped him on the sofa, shoving a stool in front for him to balance his leg on. "Thanks." Stephen murmured.

Nick dropped the TV remote onto the man's lap, taking satisfaction in the wince it created, "Yell if you need anything." He said before going into his office, really not wanting to spend more time with Stephen than necessary.

**.~*~*~*~.**

Nick dropped his papers as he heard a loud crash coming from the bathroom and he frowned, he'd left Stephen an hour ago, surely the man wasn't stupid enough to try moving on his own? Apparently he was… Nick sighed as he opened the bathroom door and found Stephen trying to pull himself up off the floor, "Are you completely thick?" Nick spat, moving over to the man.

"I can manage!" Stephen hissed, though whether it was anger or pain Nick couldn't tell.

"Evidently." Nick drawled, kneeling down so that he could help Stephen up.

Stephen gritted his teeth, "I'm sorry okay." He said, sounding both broken and furious at the same time, "I know I shouldn't have slept with her -"

"You should have fucking told me!" Nick yelled, "Eight fucking years Stephen! You lied to me for eight goddamned years!"

"I know. I'm sorry." Stephen whispered and Nick suddenly realised how close the man was. Stephen's eyes were wide and he looked worryingly like he was going to cry. "I'm sorry." Stephen repeated and then suddenly his lips were pressed against Nick's.

Nick gasped, his eyes widening as he jerked back, "What the hell?"

"I… I'm sorry! I'm so sorry." Stephen said quickly, his voice hoarse as he tried to shove himself away across the floor.

"Stephen stay still! You'll hurt yourself." Nick snapped, resisting the urge to touch his lips.

"I… I'm sorry."

Nick snorted, "So you said." He muttered, deciding to just forget what Stephen had just done. Maybe the man had hit his head when his foot was nearly eaten? Either that or he was just insane. Why else would he kiss Nick? "Let's get you back to the living room. Assuming you've pissed already."

"Came to wash my hands." Stephen mumbled.

Nick stared at him, "You came to wash your hands? You know you're not meant to be walking on that foot but you still came to wash your hands? Are you completely stupid?"

"Yes." Stephen whispered, his eyes on Nick's lips and Nick felt his breathe catch in his throat.

"You kissed me."

"Yeah."

Nick looked away for a second, "Why?"

"I… I don't know." Stephen whispered.

Nick gave a small growl, "For someone so clever you don't know much of anything do you?" He snapped and Stephen winced, looking away. Nick felt his chest contract slightly at the hurt look on the man's face and, refusing to think about what he was doing, he leant forwards and kissed his friend… Ex friend… Stephen gasped against his lips and Nick paused for a second before brushing his tongue against Stephen's lips. Stephen parted his lips automatically, his hands moving to touch Nick's shoulders but Nick growled into the kiss, moving his hands to grab Stephen's own, holding them away from his body as he pressed the man down onto the floor. Out of the corner of his eye Nick could just make out the porcelain toilet and for a brief second wondered just how hygienic this was, then Stephen bucked his hips and all thoughts fled Nick's brain. Nick thrust his hips against the other man's, his hands still holding Stephen's in place away from their bodies, not letting the other man touch him. "Nick… I… Cutter… Please." Stephen begged as Nick pulled back, gasping for oxygen.

"What?" Nick asked, aware of how harsh his voice sounded, "What do you want?"

"Please." Was all Stephen whispered, his hips bucking, almost of their own accord. Nick thrust against Stephen again, almost scared by the reaction his body gave to the other man. He could feel Stephen's erection digging into his thigh and moved slightly, rubbing against it.

"Did she do this? Make you so fucking helpless?" He asked harshly, unable to help himself and Stephen gave an almost sob, his hips thrusting off the floor, begging for contact. Nick could feel himself getting close and felt a shot of embarrassment at the fact that Stephen could do this to him, he hadn't got off this quickly since he was a teenager. Releasing one of Stephen's hands he slid his own in between their bodies, squeezing Stephen's crotch through the man's trousers. Stephen let out a whimper and came, shuddering against Nick, it was enough to send Nick over the edge. They lay there panting for a moment, then Stephen's hand moved to touch Nick's arm and Nick jerked back as if he'd been burnt. He pulled himself upwards, swallowing hard and, without a glance at Stephen, left the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Nick barely made it to the kitchen sink before he retched, a small amount of vomit tricklign from his mouth as disgust filling his every fibre. He had the most horrible feeling that Stephen had only gone along with that to please him, to get Nick to forgive him. Then again Stephen had kissed him first, maybe that had been an attempt at forgiveness too? Well even if it hadn't he probably hadn't expected Nick to react…to be so… So brutal. Hell Nick had surprised even himself there. He wiped at his mouth and rinsed the sink, moving to put the kettle on, could tea solve this? Nick opened the fridge to get the milk, groaning as he realised there was none.

**.~*~*~*~.**

Stephen had taken some time to manage to pull himself up to sit on the toilet seat, he managed, after a while, to clean himself up a bit, chucking his underpants in Cutter's wash basket and pulling his cargo pants back on. Then, finally, he managed to make it out of the bathroom. A faint smell of vomit hung in the air and Stephen curled his hand into a fist around his crutch, flopping down onto the sofa. He contemplated leaving but then noticed a note on the coffee table,

_Gone to get milk. We'll talk later._

Talk? Was that good? Stephen wondered, surprised when the front door opened, that was quick… then again he'd been in the bathroom a long time. "Look who I ran into." Nick said, his voice even, as he walked in, Connor right behind him.

Connor grinned, "We just got your calls, sorry mate, we phoned the hospital but they said you were already here. Abby insisted I come and make sure you were okay."

"I'm fine." Stephen lied, watching Nick carefully.

"Due more pain meds." Nick said, he moved over to the shelves and popped out two pills from a packet there, handing them to Stephen, "Can you fetch him a drink Connor? And make some tea? Here's the milk. I need a shower." Nick said, passing a carrier bag to Connor, and Stephen felt his cheeks flush, had Nick gone out to the shops like that?

"Sure thing Professor." Connor grinned, moving into the kitchen.

Stephen looked up at Nick and flicked his tongue out to wet his lips, "Cutter…" He started.

"Later." Nick said quietly, moving towards the bathroom door, "I… I'm sorry Stephen." He added quietly before leaving. Stephen frowned but was pulled out of his thoughts when Connor handed him a glass of water, putting some mugs of tea on the table.

"Thanks." Stephen croaked, swallowing the painkillers and slumping back against the cushions.

"Abby says that she hopes you feel better soon, and that you and Cutter haven't killed each other yet." Connor laughed. Stephen winced, not killed no… He listened to Connor prattle on about nothing in particular for a while, the kid still wanted to know if Abby fancied him, "She seems to have gone off you." He told Stephen with a smirk. Stephen nodded absently, his eyes on the bathroom door as Nick opened it and walked out in just a towel, moving into his bedroom. "Me and Abby are gonna watch a film next week." Connor told him and Stephen tried to look interested, "Not sure what yet though, gonna go to the rental shop."

"Cool." Stephen nodded, "Sounds like fun."

Connor tilted his head to the side, looking oddly mature as he surveyed Stephen, "Abby thinks you're a prat for having an affair with a married woman." He said after a moment.

"Abby's right." Stephen muttered.

Connor shrugged, "I just think you're a prat for lying to Cutter about it for so long." He said, "Also, how do we know if anything you say is true now, what other secrets are you hiding?"

For some reason this stung Stephen almost as much as Nick's anger, "With all due respect Connor, you don't really know me." He snapped and instantly felt guilty as Connor nodded and turned away.

"Right."

"I'm sorry." Stephen sighed, something he seemed to be doing a lot lately.

Connor shrugged, "'S'okay." He said, "I just thought… Well we've been hanging out, chasing creatures, for a while now. I thought I knew you… Then again I guess Cutter did too." Stephen winced again, wondering if Connor realised he was being an arse. "Do you reckon this Claudia woman really existed?"

"I don't know Connor." Stephen snapped.

"Alright… Geez you're cranky when you're hurt." Connor muttered as Nick came out of his bedroom, dressed in loose fitting jeans and a jumper, the man laughed at Connor's comment and the kid grinned, "I should get going anyway, Abby'll be upset if I'm late back."

"It was good to see you Connor." Nick smiled.

"Yeah well…" Connor rubbed his neck awkwardly, "See ya tomorrow." He grinned before leaving, yelling, "Hope your foot's better soon." After him.

Nick and Stephen stared at each other for a while before Stephen ducked his head, not wanting to see the anger on the other man's face anymore, Nick moved and picked up one of the mugs Connor had put on the table, then he sat down in the armchair opposite Stephen. "I… We… Earlier." Nick stopped talking for a second, closing his eyes briefly, "You shouldn't have let that happen. I lost control and… I'm sorry. But you should have stopped it! You don't owe me anything and -"

"Wow, wow, what?" Stephen blinked, staring a Nick, "You think I… You think I only went with it because… Jesus Nick! I wanted it! I've wanted it for ages!" Oh shit, he hadn't meant to say that out loud. But then again how could Nick possibly think that he'd forced Stephen into what had happened?

Nick stared down at his mug of tea and Stephen could almost hear his mid working, "You… You wanted it?"

"Yes."

"You weren't… Trying to get me to forgive you?"

What? Would that even work? "Umm… No."

"Oh." Nick blinked, glancing up at Stephen quickly before staring back down at his tea. Stephen leant backwards against the sofa, watching Nick, after a moment he became aware that the man's lips were moving but Stephen couldn't quite make out the words as he felt his eyes droop shut. He quickly shook his head, trying to wake himself up and Nick frowned. "Pain meds making you tired? Come on, let's get you to bed." The man said quietly, standing up and moving over to Stephen.

"But…"

"We can talk tomorrow." Nick said quietly, helping Stephen to his feet.

"Thought I was sleeping on the sofa." Stephen mumbled, aware he was slurring slightly.

Nick blushed ever so slightly, "Ah, well I was angry so…" He trailed off as he opened the door to the spare room and helped Stephen inside, sitting him on the bed. "Need a hand changing for bed?"

Stephen nearly agreed but remembered at the last minute that his underwear was in the wash basket in the bathroom, and therefore he had none on, "I'll be fine."

"Okay." Nick nodded, pointing out some pyjamas he'd put on the bed earlier when Stephen had been watching television, then he moved over to the door,

"Nick?" Stephen whispered and the man paused, "Thank you."

"It's fine lad." Nick said, managing a small smile as he left.

Nick moved into the kitchen, putting the kettle on and wrapping his arms around himself as he waited for it to boil. What a fucking day, two days, whatever. He blinked as he realised that it had only been a day or so ago that he'd been chatting away to Claudia Brown in his office and he suddenly, ridiculously, missed her. She would know what to do. How to deal with this mess he'd created with Stephen. Then again Claudia would probably be just as surprised by the turn of events as he was, Nick mused as he poured boiling water into a mug. His mind drifted back to what Stephen had said earlier, about wanting it, about having wanted it for ages, and he frowned, wondering if the man had really meant it and, if so, how far back those feelings went. Sighing to himself Nick fetched the milk from the fridge, he and Stephen would have to have a long talk tomorrow…

**.~*~*~*~.**

Nick yawned as he hung up the phone, moving into the kitchen to pour himself some more coffee. He had just sat down at the table when he heard Stephen's bedroom door open and so Nick moved quickly over to the kitchen doorway, watching as Stephen hopped into the doorway of the spare room. "Umm… I… Could you possibly help me with my sock?" Stephen asked, flushing lightly, his eyes showing how irritated he was at having to ask.

"Sure." Nick said, attempting to smile as Stephen sat down in the chair in the spare room, handing Nick a plain black sock, "Cold feet?" Nick teased, trying to be as normal as possible.

Stephen gave a low chuckle, "Something like that." He murmured, wincing as Nick pulled the sock onto his foot, over the bandage. "Fuck it hurts."

"Well you're only allowed normal painkillers now, paracetamol." Nick said apologetically, "But I can make you some breakfast? Lester says that, barring emergency, I don't have to be in today."

Stephen gave a half nod, standing up shakily as Nick handed him the crutches, "Breakfast sounds good." He said quietly.

"Good." Nick nodded, "Then we can talk." He said firmly as he left the room, ignoring Stephen's pale face.

Stephen followed him to the kitchen, "Thanks… For letting me stay, for breakfast… For the clothes."

"Well you were starting to stink." Nick grinned, rummaging in the fridge for food as Stephen sat down at the table.

"Thanks!" Stephen pouted and Nick smiled, just for a second being able to forget everything that had happened, just enjoying Stephen's company. Nick made some toast, bacon, eggs and sausages, putting a plate in front of the other man and laughing as Stephen began to shovel food into his mouth, "I'm starving." The man said sheepishly, swallowing some of the food, "And you are a great cook." He added.

Nick snorted, "Everyone's a good cook compared to you." He pointed out, laughing as he remembered Stephen's various attempts at cooking.

"Oh shush!" Stephen said, flicking some scrambled egg at the Professor.

Nick poured out some more coffee before sitting down, eating some of his own food. "What happened yesterday…" He started once he'd swallowed. Stephen froze, his fork halfway to his mouth, he slowly lowered it, watching Nick carefully. "It shouldn't have happened." Nick said quietly, watching as Stephen's face fell and the man ducked his head, looking away. "Not now… Not like this." Nick added, "If it had happened even a week ago then I would have probably sat down, talked properly and… Well even considered letting it happen again." Stephen looked back up, a frown between his eyebrows, "But right now Stephen… I'm finding it difficult to even see you as a friend let alone anything else."

Stephen frowned down at the table, chewing on his lip, "I… I understand." He whispered.

"Look Stephen it was…" Nick sighed, trying to find the right words, "It shouldn't have happened like that. I was angry, I was…"

"You're saying like you didn't enjoy it." Stephen muttered.

Nick snorted, "I think you know I did." He said quietly, "It's just… Things are complicated enough right now."

"Yeah." Stephen breathed, flushing as he looked down at his food, pushing it away slightly.

Nick sighed again, closing his eyes briefly, "You should eat up, I'll go find some paracetamol." He said.

_**.~*~*~*~.**_


	2. Chapter 2

"That was unfair of Lester to say." Nick said quietly. "You would have figured it out eventually."

"No, I made the wrong call." Stephen muttered.

Nick frowned, "It was my fault Abby got caught in the first place." He pointed out.

"I should have listened to what you were saying though… Rather than just go with my own thoughts."

"Well we can both learn from all this." Nick said softly, realising there was no point in arguing. Stephen nodded in reply, shaking water from his hair, watching as Abby and Connor pulled their coats on.

"We're heading off." Connor said, walking over to the two men.

"Right… We'll see you tomorrow." Nick said quietly, looking at Abby who gave him a shaky grin, Nick smiled back, glad she didn't blame him for the fact that she'd been kidnapped by mer creatures. Nick watched them leave before turning back to Stephen, "You okay?"

"Yeah." Stephen murmured, "I should get home." He added.

Nick frowned then, wondering why he felt lonely at the thought, "Oh… I was kinda thinking we could grab a drink." He said, ignoring Stephen's surprised look.

"I'm a little damp to be going to the pub." Stephen chuckled awkwardly.

"I just… I could do with the company." Nick admitted, after everything that had happened that day, coming so close to losing Abby, he didn't want to be moping around on his own.

Stephen gave a small nod, not commenting, something that Nick was thankful for, "Well I need to get changed so… Meet me at mine? We can plan from there." The man offered.

Nick smiled, "Sure." He said, not caring if they stayed at Stephen's or went out, he ignored the little voice in his head that said he was asking for trouble, planning to get drunk with Stephen, when keeping his hands to himself when sober was difficult enough.

**_.~*~*~*~*~*~._**

Nick didn't bother knocking the door, knowing that Stephen would have left it open, instead he just went into the flat, turning the television on when he heard the shower running. Five minutes later Stephen walked out of the bathroom, wearing tracksuit bottoms and a blue tee-shirt, towelling his hair dry. "Sorry, that lake water was gross."

"S'fine, I stole your telly." Nick said, nodding to the screen.

Stephen nodded awkwardly, "Want a drink?" He offered.

"Sure." Nick said, following Stephen through to the kitchen and raising an eyebrow at the cupboard full of alcohol bottles.

Stephen flushed slightly, "Most of it's still from Christmas." He said and Nick nodded, a small smile on his face as he remembered them both passing out drunk in the living room on Boxing day. Stephen slopped some whisky into a glass for Nick, "Got no ice." He said quietly, pouring some for himself before grabbing the bottle and taking it into the living room with them.

Nick sank back down onto the sofa, picking up the remote and tossing it to Stephen, "You choose." He offered, too tired to care, "But nothing with mermaids." He added as an afterthought.

"Little mermaid is a no then?" Stephen teased,

"Not tonight." Nick chuckled, relaxing as Stephen flicked through the channels, settling on a comedy panel show,

Stephen leant back, "I've missed this." He said quietly after a moment, his eyes trained on the television.

Nick sipped at his drink, "Me too." He said eventually.

**_.~*~*~*~*~*~._**

They'd ordered food at some point and the cartons lay scattered around them as they lazed on the sofa, watching the television and occasionally talking, although making a point not to mention work, anomalies, Helen…Or what had happened between them. Nick knew that they should talk about it, he almost wanted to talk about it, even just to figure it out in his head. Then there was the fact that he couldn't seem to tear his gaze away from Stephen's throat and the way it moved when he swallowed his drink… "Why is everything on the telly shit?" Stephen grumbled, flicking channels.

"Because." Nick replied, looking away quickly and stretching out, his elbow bashing into Stephen's chest, Stephen winced slightly and Nick frowned, "Sorry." He murmured, putting his hand where his elbow had just whacked, "Alright?"

"Fine." Stephen said quickly, jerking away and standing up, "I should…" He trailed off and suddenly Nick was sick of it all, sick of the way they were avoiding it, dancing around the subject.

"We kissed." He said.

Stephen seemed to slump slightly, putting his glass down and sitting back on the sofa "Was a bit more than that." He muttered.

"We should do it again, with less clothes." Nick said bluntly, distantly aware that perhaps he had had a bit more whisky than he'd first thought.

Stephen stared at him, shaking his head slightly, "You're drunk." He murmured, "Otherwise you'd know this was a bad idea. Too complicated, remember?" He said, his voice bitter.

"Everything's complicated now." Said Nick.

"I'm sorry." Stephen murmured and Nick sighed.

"What we did… You said you'd wanted it for a while, why?"

Stephen blinked again, grabbing his glass and tipping the contents down his throat, "Because you mean a lot to me… And to be fair you're pretty fit." He snorted, pouring out some more whisky. Nick made a snap decision, moving and taking the glass, putting it on the coffee table before leaning in and kissing Stephen, his fingers tangling in the man's hair. Stephen let his lips brush Nick's for a second before pushing the man away gently, Nick moved, watching him, "I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and decide this is another bad idea, something that shouldn't have happened." Stephen said quietly, looking at Nick's shoulder, avoiding eye contact.

Nick moved his hand, cupping Stephen's chin, "I promise there will be no regret."

"But -"

"Hush… We'll talk later." Nick murmured, kissing Stephen again, feeling the man relax against him, his arms circling Nick's body.

**_.~*~*~*~*~*~._**

Nick leant back against the pillows, breathing heavily. He smiled as Stephen leant against his chest, "We should clean up, grab a shower." Nick murmured, Stephen murmured something that sounded vaguely like an agreement but didn't move, instead wrapping his arm around Nick and closing his eyes, mumbling something else. "Hmm?" Nick asked.

Stephen turned, burying his face into Nick's chest, flushing in a way that was so unlike Stephen, "That was even more amazing than I imagined." He repeated finally, flushing even more and hiding his face.

Nick couldn't help but grin, "You've imagined it?" He asked, running his hand up Stephen's back. Stephen made a grumbling noise, wriggling his nose against Nick's skin and making him laugh, "How long Stephen?" Nick teased.

"How long have I wanted to shag you?" Stephen asked, moving to sit up slightly, watching Nick, "Well… probably since I first saw you. I mean it!" He added as Nick laughed, "My first thought was, I'd so do him."

"Well nice to know how seriously you took your education!" Nick laughed, stopping as Stephen tensed slightly. Nick sighed, "We should get that shower." He murmured sitting up and sliding to the edge of the bed.

"I never meant to lie to you…" Stephen said quietly, staring across the room, away from Nick, "I just couldn't bear the thought that you'd… That I'd lose you." He trailed off as Nick turned to look at him. Nick opened his mouth to say that it didn't matter, that none of it did but he stopped, realising that he needed to hear this, needed to understand, and apparently Stephen needed to say it. "I kept telling myself that I'd tell you eventually but… After a while it just got easier not to. And she'd just left! You were grieving for your wife… I… I didn't want to destroy your image of her by telling you that we'd been… I thought she was dead, I thought it was better to let you believe she was still perfect."

Nick laughed softly, "I never thought she was perfect. And I knew she'd been screwing around… I just wanted to pretend that everything was okay." He muttered.

"I'm sorry okay? I never meant to… To screw up quite so fucking amazingly." Stephen said quietly, glancing towards Nick before looking away again, chewing on his lip and looking decidedly uncomfortable.

Nick moved, putting his hand on Stephen's shoulder, "Come on, you really need a shower." He said softly.

"Saying I smell?" Stephen asked with a raised eyebrow, grinning slightly.

"No." Nick chuckled, "You're just a bit… Sticky." He said, not able to think of a better word.

Stephen snorted, "Your fault." He murmured, "You… You don't regret it?"

"No chance." Nick said, standing up, "Come on lad." He added, moving towards the bathroom.

**_.~*~*~*~*~*~._**

Stephen's head was against Nick's chest when the man woke up the next morning. Nick smiled, running his hand through Stephen's hair, which was still slightly damp from the shower they'd shared before falling asleep. Nick slowly moved the other man so that he was resting against the pillow, then he slid off the bed and pulled a pair of Stephen's underpants on, heading into the kitchen and turning on the kettle before checking his phone. He quickly replied to a text from Lester, asking them to be in the ARC by midday to sign some paperwork, and washed two mugs, rolling his eyes at the state of Stephen's kitchen. Nick turned the television on as he waited for the kettle to boil, and he couldn't help the small smirk that crossed his face when his eyes landed on the clothes that had been thrown on the armchair last night as they'd rushed to undress each other. Nick knew that things were still complicated and that he was far from trusting Stephen, but he also knew that the man meant a lot to him, in fact thinking about it he was rather surprised it had taken them this long to get together… If they were together. Nick let out a sigh, clearing up some of the takeaway boxes and moving back into the kitchen, pouring the boiling water on top of the tea bags. He looked up as there was a thump and muffled swearing from the bedroom, Nick moved towards the room, raising an amused eyebrow when he saw Stephen sat on the floor, tangled in the bed sheets, "Need a hand?" Nick teased.

Stephen stared up at him, ducking his head, "I… I thought you'd left." He muttered, and Nick sighed.

"I was making tea, Lester needs us in the ARC in two hours." He said quietly, moving over and helping Stephen up, grinning as the man made a soft moaning noise, stretching his legs, "Sorry." Nick said.

Stephen laughed, leaning down to massage his upper leg, "Don't be." He smirked, "It was worth it."

Nick grinned, moving to sit on the edge of the bed as Stephen rummaged through his drawers for some pants. "You alright?" He asked quietly.

Stephen looked up in surprise, "Yeah…" He said, frowning slightly, "Are you?" He asked hesitantly a moment later.

"Yeah, yeah I am." Nick smiled, watching as Stephen pulled his underwear on.

Stephen sat down next to Nick, "What now?" He asked quietly, looking confused and Nick wondered briefly if Stephen was always like this when it came to relationships, he rarely saw the vulnerable side to Stephen and it was quite nice, not that he was feeling vulnerable but that he was willing to show Nick that he was.

"Cup of tea, some toast. Possibly a bit of kissing. Then work I guess. Maybe dinner tonight? My place… Then you could stay over." Nick shrugged, "I want to give this a go Stephen, try and make it work. And obviously there'll be issues, we can't pretend the past never happened but…" He let out a sigh, "Tea?"

"Sounds good." Stephen murmured, a smile playing on his lips.

**_.~*~*~*~*~*~_**

"So?" Jenny leant against the door, raising an eyebrow as she watched Nick.

"So?" Nick repeated, shoving the last of his paperwork in his bag.

Jenny laughed lightly and Nick looked away, wondering if she would ever stop reminding him of Claudia, "So… What's going on with you and Stephen?" Jenny grinned.

"What do you mean?" Nick asked, they had after all agreed to keep their relationship quiet for a while, needing to take the time to get used to it themselves without having to deal with everyone's questions and comments and judgments.

Jenny rolled her eyes, "I'm not stupid Cutter, I know something's going on with you two. You look happier, and Stephen's actually managing to smile these days."

"I…"

"I'm happy for you." Jenny said softly and Nick tilted his head to the side.

"I know it's not exactly conventional… Given everything, but I do care for him, a lot." He said finally.

Jenny smiled, "Well that's all that matters really, isn't it? Just be careful, when Helen comes back, and by the sound of her she will, she's not exactly going to be thrilled…"

Nick sighed, "Yeah well… What's coming will come, and we'll meet it when it does."

"Cutter, did you just quote Harry Potter?"

"Shut up."


End file.
